Mini Pip

''What a Beautiful Print for a Wedding'' Dress

I mentioned in a previous post about making a new dress for a wedding I was attending, and here she is!

This is vogue V1174 by Cynthia Steffe. I bought this pattern what feels like years ago to make a birthday dress but just never got around to it. When my boyfriend was invited to his friends wedding, I did actually try to shop for a dress. I knew it would be less stressful, but probably more expensive, to just buy but there wasn't anything that I liked! So that left me with one option: just make my own dress.

Once I picked the pattern, picking the fabric was easy. Joann's, of course, had a sale...and coupons... so I bought this beauty. It's a thicker fabric, damask, which didn't make it necessary to add lining, but I did anyway.

This pattern was the most intense I've sewn, with so many pattern pieces to cut and instructions to follow. As I use more patterns, I'm finding that I actually follow the instructions much more than I used to.

This lady had so much detail! From pockets and pleats to boning and piping.

 
 

Never have I been so happy with the inside of a dress as this one. I even took pictures because it's so beautiful!

 

There is one thing this pattern has taught me. Take a closer look at the picture on the pattern envelope. I was not prepared for the way the skirt was attached and at first I was unhappy with how unfinished it looked. After I sewed the skirt on though, I didn't mind it.

I highly recommend this pattern, but for a more experienced sewer. I cut the size way too big for my body and had to alter it quite a bit. I thought my measurements were right but it was way off. The bodice is very secure with the boning included but because I didn't alter it enough, I did pull it up quite a bit throughout the evening. I might add a spaghetti strap so the wear is a little easier from now on, especially at work.

Thankfully no one at the wedding thought it was handmade, that's one of the greatest compliments I can get!

Liebster Award!

 

The awesome Laura, at Laurasaurus, nominated me for the Liebster Award! As explained on her blog,

"The Liebster award was created to draw a bit of awareness to bloggers with a following of less than 500. There are some rules, because without rules there would be chaos, and nobody wants that:

1. Answer the questions given to you

2. Nominate other bloggers with less than 500 followers

3. Post questions for your nominees to answer"

 

and here are my questions to answer!

 

1. When and why did you take up sewing?

I started sewing at 16, after falling in love with fashion and realizing that the clothing I wanted to wear wouldn't fit my petite frame. Obviously I underestimated the fact that I couldn't sew my own wardrobe overnight so I focused on making special occasion pieces (prom dresses) and accessories like handbags.

2. Do you follow trends, or do you just sew things that you like?

I have a binder filled with favorite fashion pieces. If i'm looking for a quick sewing project, I will tend to follow trends with certain patterns but if I'm making handbags, I make whatever comes to mind, using whatever fabric I love.

3. What’s the thing that annoys you the most about the sewing process?

HOW LONG THINGS TAKE. Sometimes I love the process, but I'm a last minute sewer, making finishing projects really difficult. And zippers. I hate zippers.

4. What are you working on right now?

I just received the fabric to make my dress to go to a friend's wedding in May. I'm also working on my apron collection for Mini Pip (my etsy shop).

{new dress fabric}

5.  Out of all the things you’ve ever made, what is your favourite?

I've mentioned on here before that I am so proud of my senior prom dress, since it was the first garment I ever completed. But my favorite piece is my junior prom dress, that was my first refashion. It was my grandma's dress and is still my favorite dress of all time.

6. How many pieces of fabric do you have in your stash? Is it tidy? Feel free to include pictures!

I have way too many pieces of fabric. I have two bins in my apartment, another bin at my parent's home, a bin of recycled fabrics waiting to be handbags, and about three shopping bags of scraps and smaller pieces. I organize my fabrics about once every two months so it is pretty tidy. I am not showing pictures because I'm ashamed of how much I have!

7. When planning a new project, do you start with a pattern you want to make, or a fabric you’d like to wear?

I usually pick a pattern I want to make. Since I'm trying to sew garments out of fabric other than cotton, finding the right patterns are key.

8. If you could only dress in the style of one famous person, living or dead, till the end of time, who would you choose?

My famous person is from my favorite movie. Miss Penny Lane, from Almost Famous, is a crazy hippie lady from the 70s who has the coolest style. With a wardrobe of flared jeans and crop tops she is my fashion idol. although I feel like I can't pull off the style, I would love to dress like her everyday. She also carries around a tackle box as a purse and this would be perfect to carry around all my sewing supplies!

9. What is the best piece of advice (sewing or otherwise) you’ve been given?

I don't know if there's really "words of wisdom" i've gotten that have stuck with me but the support from my family has been the greatest motivation I've ever been given.

10. Do you have any other hobbies, apart from sewing and blogging?

I'm currently training for  a half marathon so I guess running is a hobby. I also love re-purposing. I've done a furniture project here and there and hope to do more. Other than that, my full time job and part time job keep me pretty busy.

{Drew and I after a 5k a few weeks ago}

{my weekends are spent on the farm}

11. What (or who) is your spirit animal and why?

I've never thought about my spirit animal. So I took a test. Turns out I'm a tiger! I wasn't expecting that. According to this test I have, "Willpower, personal strength and courage, aggression or anger, unpredictability". This isn't super true. I get angry and aggressive when I'm hungry so it isn't very unpredictable. But get me a sandwich and I'm good to go!

I want to nominate Samantha over at fluffyland, a blog I've been reading for some time now. Her stuffies are adorable and I'm still swooning over her necklaces.

My second nominee is Dana at Dana's Designs. This girl has some crazy talent in not only making clothing but creating textiles!

Girl's your questions are::

1. What do you like to listen to while sewing? (music, binge watching Netflix, complete silence, etc)
2. What is your favorite sewing tool?
3. What advice would you give to a new seamstress?
4. Favorite form of social media?
5. Favorite fabric to work with and why?
6. Do you make your own patterns?
7. Do you enjoy any other crafty hobbies (knitting, crochet, painting, etc)?
8. Do you have any sewing goals for this year?
9. If you could have one new sewing technique implanted into your brain without having to learn it, what would it be?
10. Your favorite fashion decade and why?